On iTunes 8 and hunches; also iPhone 2.1 for Tuesday

We have received word that iTunes 8 is finally confirmed for Tuesday's special …

On Friday, we posted a short roundup of what's expected in iTunes 8 thanks to the rumortastic stylings of Kevin Rose. The Pandora-like Genius feature, Genius Sidebar, Grid view, and more are all said to be included. Although the general web consensus was that it would probably land on next Tuesday's Apple Special Event, we were skeptical.

Well, that skepticism was unwarranted, it seems. A person close to the situation has informed us that, as of this morning, iTunes 8 is finally confirmed for September 9. This person conveyed that much of what Rose claims is in iTunes 8 is correct as well. So, our hunch was wrong. And we're glad, because it sounds pretty cool, too.

Another little birdie told us that it's widely expected within some Apple circles that iPhone 2.1 will be released on September 9. We were told that, aside from what we already know about iPhone 2.1 from leakedinfo on the web, there are other parts to 2.1 that were specifically removed from developer seeds in order to keep them secret from the world. This both excites and worries us, because if true, then there are features coming in the newest firmware that have not been widely tested outside of Apple. On the other hand, we're suckers for a surprise.

All we can say is that Tuesday can't come fast enough for the rumor mill.

Jacqui Cheng
Jacqui is an Editor at Large at Ars Technica, where she has spent the last eight years writing about Apple culture, gadgets, social networking, privacy, and more. Emailjacqui@arstechnica.com//Twitter@eJacqui